Boiler combustion chamber control



Jan. 10, 1950 A; J. H. HASSELL BOILER COMBUSTION CHAMBER CONTROL Filed April 15, 1946 sax.

. INVENTOR. H/ton J H Hassgll Patented Jan. 10, 950

- -UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,494,173 BOILER, coMeUs'rIoN cHn 'BEn CONTROL Alton J. H. Hassell, Spokane. Wash.

Application April 15, 1946, Serial No. 662,183

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an air inlet for the combustion chamber of a boiler of the type forming a portion of a railroad locomotive and it is one object of the invention to provide a boiler with means for permitting air to enter its combustion chamber and supply oxygen to mix with incoming fuel discharged from the nozzle of an oil burner and form a good combustible mixture.

Another object of the invention is to provide the combustion chamber with air inlets consisting of tubes mounted in openings formed through side Walls of the combustion chamber so that the air entering the chamber will cross the path of discharged fuel and thoroughly intermingle with the fuel.

Another object of the invention is to provide air pipes which are so mounted through the shell of the boiler that they will be firmly held in registry with openings formed through fire bricks lining the combustion chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide the air inlet tubes with valves pivotally mounted and having their pivots so arranged that the valves will be moved inwardly by air passing through the tubes into the combustion chamber and thus allow the volume of air entering the combustion chamber to automatically be regulated during operation of the boiler.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through a boiler having its combustion chamber provided with the improved air inlets.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken transversely through the combustion chamber.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a fire brick formed with openings to receive the air inlet tubes.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken longitudinally of a tube.

The boiler which is indicated in general by the numeral l represents a portion of a railroad locomotive but could be a portion of any other form of boiler in which steam is generated by hot products of combustion passing through tubes 2 located above a combustion chamber 3. The fire box or combustion chamber extends longitudinally of the boiler and has a bottom 4, end walls 5 and 6, and side walls I which are disposed at an incline as shown in Figure 2. The usual metal shell 8 is provided for the boiler and also a lining 9 formed of fire bricks. An opening II] is formed through wall 6 to receive the oil burner l i from which fuel is discharged longitudinally of the combustion chamber and when the boiler is in through the fiue I2 and through the tubes 2 to heat water surrounding the tubes. It is desirable to admit air into the combustion chamber and thus supply oxygen to mix with the fuel and form a good combustible mixture and in order to do so there have been provided a plurality of tubes 14 which pass through openings formed through the shell of the combustion chamber and fit into recesses l5 formed about outer ends of openings it formed through certain of the fire bricks from which the liner 9 is formed. These fire bricks l8 are located in lower corner portions of rear ends of the side Walls 1 oi the combustion chamber so that the air will be mixed with the incoming fuel near the rear end of the combustion chamber and flame and hot products of combustion pass directly up through the flue 12 to the tubes 2. The inner ends of the pipes or tubes [4 abut inner walls of the recesses so that they surround the openings l6, and referring to Figure 4 it will be seen that the pipes are welded to the metal shell 8 as shown at l9.

Flow of air through the pipes I4 is controlled by valves mounted in the pipes. formed as shown in Figure 4, and referring to this figure it will be seen that the valve 20 is of the butterfly type and consists of a metal disk 2| which is carried by a metal rod or pin 22 extending transversely of the disk and having its ends protruding therefrom and mounted through openings in opposite sides of the pipe. Ears or strips 23 are cut from the disk to receive the rod and mount the disk thereon and since the rod is spaced upwardly of the horizontal diameter of the disk the weight of the disk will normally hold the valve closed. When the boiler is in operation air fiows through the pipes 14 and the openings I6 into the combustion chamber and the valves of the pipes will be swung inwardly toward an opened position and when fiow of fuel from the burner H is shut off the weight of the lower portions of the valves will cause the valves to return to the closed position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

In a boiler construction, a combustion chamber having side and end walls and provided with a metal shell and a lining of fire bricks, a fuel burner extending into the combustion chamber through one end thereof, certain of the fire bricks at sides of the combustion chamber being formed with air inlet openings aligned with companion openings formed through the shell, outer end poroperation flame and hot products of combustion tions of the openings in the fire bricks being en- Each valve is larged and forming annular recesses surrounding the openings in the shell and of greater diameter than the openings in the shell, pipes of greater diameter than the openings in the fire bricks having end portions passing inwardly through the openings in the shell and welded to surrounding portions of the shell and having their inserted end portions spaced from the annular side walls of the recesses and abutting inner ends of the recesses in surrounding relation to the air inlet openings of the fire bricks, and a butterfly valve in each pipe having a horizontal pivot spaced upwardly from its center whereby the valve is normally held closed by the weight of its lower portion and may be swung inwardly to an opened position.

ALTON J. HASSELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

